Customer Reviews

The Glorious Burden

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

"Good God!" were my first words when I listened to the approx 30 minute long, 3-song spanning EPIC trilogy chronicling the Battle of Gettysburg. And that wasn't even the entire CD!

I admit I'm not a big fan of Iced Earth (mostly because I rarely heard of them before). I don't even want to dip my foot into the whole reviewer controversy I think I see about the Matt Barlow vs Tim Owens debate between Iced Earth fans. In my own opinion, based upon the songs in "The Glorious Burden" and other Iced Earth songs from Barlow's time, I'd say Tim Owens is a much better vocalist in my opinion...

But this album is spellbinding. One of the best I've ever heard. The first 9 tracks are beautifully melodic masterpieces chronicling various events in world, and primarily American, history

1- Star Spangled Banner: Terrifying to our foes, glorifying to Americans, etc, blah, blah, wine, blood. Pretty much what I expected; the star spangled banner played on guitar, kinda like what Jimi Hendrix did

2- Declaration Day (9/10): great way to start off an album. A song about the Declaration of Independence signing. A great thrumming beat goes throughout the song which fits in well with what the colonists must have felt that day.

3- When The Eagle Cries (8/10): Good song about 9/11 attacks, with little biasedness. It is greatly written, with the right words at the right time and place.

4- The Reckoning (10/10): Excellent single, pure rock song about Justice and vengeance. The highpitched vocals are stellar and just "wow"

5- Greenface (9/10): Song which keeps bringing John Kerry and the game Battlefield Vietnam to mind. Assuming by the lyrics, name, and picture in the CD booklet, I'd say this has to do with the Vietnam war. Nice sound with good vocals.

6- Valley Forge (10/10): Great ode to the Colonial soldier suffering at Valley Forge. Also good lyrics criticizing our lazy and apathetic nature towards our government today ("Would he look upon us now in anger and disgust?") ("Will we let ignorance and laziness bring our demise?")

7- Attila (9/10): A ballad to our favourite Hun conqueror! A song about the man who dominated nearly an entire continent, it is powerful. What else should I say?

8- Hollowman (7/10): I still can't figure what this song is about, but it has a good sound to it

9- Red Baron/Mad Max (7/10)

Gettysburg

10- The Devil To Pay (10/10): Day 1 of battle. An astoundingly beautiful song, beginning with a lone bagpipe and drum playing the star spangled banner, Anthem of the Union. Some seconds later, a banjo playing dixie, Anthem of the Confederacy, joins in. And then begins the cannonfire. The song is well put together and chronicles the events of the first day, when not in lyrics, then in music. Also has a moving rendition of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" at the que of General Reynold's death. It goes on to play several variations of the song, mixed with Dixie later on. The song ends with solemn sounding drum beats which leads into Day 2

11- Hold At All Costs (10/10): Day 2 of battle. Song begins with a moving ballad based upon two generals who fought that day, one on the Union, one on the Confederates, who were like brothers, now forced to do battle. The song is more heavier and rough-around-the-edge than the first and third. The song ends with a climactic drum beat which leads into Day 3

12- High Water Mark (10/10): Day 3 of battle. The high point of all action is focused primarily in this song. It's also the only song with dialogue between Generals, with Tim Owens and Jon Schaffer (or Matt Barlow I think) as the other. The dialogue fits in with the music and even rhymes. The song plots General Lee's plans, and General Longstreet's faithlessness in Lee's plan. It goes on with the battle raging about, with several orchestral and overall instrumental parts raging on, with the occasional sound effects of cannonfire. Then comes the final attack of the Confederacy, with a speech from a field general ("We're almost there my boys, I've never worked with finer") etc. A bridge then plays, and ends with the shout "CHARGE!!", then the sound of thousands of men rushing forth, followed by gunfire, and then bayonet fighting in a climactic instrumental battle scene worthy of Hollywood fame. The climax ends with a tragic monologue by General Lee (voiced by Tim Owens), where he pleads for God's forgiveness for his faulty planning ("It's all my fault, their blood is on my hands") ("God forgive me, please forgive me") ("It's over now, we are retreating, I never thought that we'd be beaten")("Is this God's will after all?"). It goes on to play a climactic outro which slowly fades into a sad violin soli of the initial melody of The Devil To Pay. A majestic way to end a majestic trilogy.

Spectacular! Worth ever half penny I paid for this album!

OK, I am probably old enough to be some of these band members' Father. But for the first time in years, I am actually thrilled to have a hard rocking album blasting my ears off. Most metal is music made by hormonally challenged creatures of limited vocabulary (especially the mall-core bands) for the disenfranchised teenaged boy trying without success to understand his radically changing worldstate. Therefore, mismanaged anger will always rule the creatively lowest common denominator.

Excuse me while I date myself, but I was weaned on Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Rush and Aerosmith. Bands for whom anger was not necessarily off the palate, but were always looking to push things a little harder than the "break-stuff" mentality that seemed to evolve into the nineties and present day metal. So when I heard that there was a band that had created an opus that devoted itself to thrash without a deficiency of sense, I had to check it out.

"Glorious Burden" is that album. It is patriotic without being jingoistic and has a solid sense of history. It uses intellect above obscenity. Oddly enough, it is the 9/11 song that is the album's weakest moment! But the first portion of the album looks deeply into World War Two battles, the American Revolution, and (in a kind of disturbing way) a special ops soldier's mindset, is both riff heavy and lyrically fascinating. (Love that riff in "Greenface.") The kind of smart writing that gave concept albums a good name in their heyday.

That's all just preface to "Glorious Burden's" opus, "Gettysburg 1863." Written to cover the three day expanse of one of the darkest periods of our nation's history, it looks at the battle from varying points of view. Without getting too cliche', the band utilizes great orchestral colorings to emphasize the horror and fascination of war and the ultimate costs. The "dialogs" between Jon Schaffer and Tim "Ripper" Owens shine throughout this 30 minute masterpiece, and make me go after the CD booklet for repeat snatches of the lyrics as well as Schaffer's notes about the composition of the work.

All I can say is BRAVO Iced Earth. "Glorious Burden" gives me hope for the future of metal and makes me long for concept albums with Hipnosis gate sleeves and fold out posters. (Ask your parents if you're in the pre-CD generation.)

This one really grew on me. I am in the habit of only publishing 5 star reviews. If it isn't 5 star quality, I don't want to waste other people's time with it. This album absolutely grew on me. At first it was a disappointment. But I was letting my political prejudices get in the way of my judgment of the album - incorrectly viewing it as a cash-in on all the fake flag-waving and magnetic ribbons on cars being foisted on us by an administration I believe is abusing and dishonoring our troops by abandoning them upon return (I say this as someone who has designed reintegration and vocational rehab programs for guard and reserve who have lost careers in this conflict). Anyone can stick a magnet on their car - now let's see them all DO something. But as I listened repeatedly with my prejudices removed I grew to love it. The album is a fantastic tribute to the many thousands of brave men and women who have defended our nation and even brought it into being - with a few other military themes thrown in (Atilla The Hun, for example). Having been to the Smithsonian and the national archives, I believe that The Star Spangled Banner, presented here with some of the same contrapuntal lines used in orchestral arrangements, is both respectful and inspiring, and the thunderous intro to Declaration Day which starts just beneath the last noted of the Anthem reflects the awesome foreboding of tyhe great nation which would arise from the actions of our forefathers, who coul only have dreamed of what kind of incredible future their sacrifices woul bring. And When The Eagle Cries is the ONLY song ever written about 9/11/2001 that is not morose, sickeningly politicized, or hamfisted - it does justice to its theme and reflects the experience as ALL Americans of ALL political persuasions felt on that horrible day. The Reckoning is an intelligent exploration of the end of vigilante justice in the west and the "taming" of the frontier that brought an end to a sick vigilante code and brought true American civilized justice to the west. I know many men who serve in Iraq today and who served in Vitnam, and "Greenface" is a terrifying tribute to those men who make the great sacrifice of becoming killers in the name of justice and freedom and ONLY in the name of justice and freedom. "Valley Forge" takes us back to the Revolutionary War again, making us realize the incredible hardship and sacrifice our bluecoated forefathers made for the principles they held sacred. "Atilla" evokes the awesome fierceness of the true warrior with its unique combination of choir and metal arrangement. "Hollow Man" is really the only filler here, and even it is quite listenable. "Red Baron/Blue Max" does one of the best jobs of evoking imagery - that of airborne combat and the hail of bulets in a dogfight - ever committed to a metal recording. And the incredible dichotomy and cognitive dissonance evoked by the idea of friends and brothers taking arms against one another is masterfully portrayed in the last three songs which comprise an epic about the civil war and Gettysburg, and Jon Schaffer's writing and Tim "Ripper" Owens' singing portray Gen. Robert E. Lee as a truly conflicted, tragic figure that lends a geat historic perspective to the events of the civil war. And musically this combines some of the heaviest metal ever laid down with some truly brilliant arrangements and inventions on the part of Iced Earth. If you truly love heavy metal, get this, and listen to it until you understand it - it is worth the investment of time and thought it takes to truly understand this brilliant piece of work. Oh yes - I also hope that Tim Owens will remain with the band. They were great with Matt Barlow, but Ripper's unique style which still manages to incorporate influences of Rob Halford (of course!), Bruce Dickinson and John Bush makes Iced Earth possibly the most formidable metal act around.

When I bought this cd I thought I would be getting an excelletn listen, something at least is moving as the astounding "Horror Show". Boy, was I wrong. These songs and the band's performance are even better. This is without a doubt Iced Earth's strongest release to date. I was/am a huge fan of former singer Matt Barlow, but will say he is never missed on this disc. Tim Owens shows that Judas Priest used him wrong in the studio and never let him truly shine. Schaffer on the other hand knows what a magnificent vocalist he has and let him to his thing. Critics have pointed out this disc is too "patriotic" and has "cheesy" lyrics. They're dead wrong. These are the same people who listen to death metal bands singing songs like "I Cum Blood" and never complain about that being cheesy. These songs are heartfelt and the playing is flawless. This is like a cross between Master of Puppets era Metallica and Powerslave-era Maiden at its best with a modern touch. The "Gettysburg" Trilogy is simply amazing and blows away any epic I have heard by IE or other bands. It must be heard to be believed. Othe standouts are "The Reckoning", "Atilla", "When the Eagle Cries", "Red Baron/Blue Max" and "Hollow Man". I simply cannot say enough good things about this release. Buy it now.

It's not often that I'll go out of my way to buy something the very day something new comes out. Well I make that exception for Iced Earth, for years one of my favorite bands playing pure heavy metal, no headache inducing blastbeats, cookie monster vocals or annoying undecipherable high-pitched screaming that remind me of my ex-wife, just good old heavy metal, loud guitars, pounding drums and actual SINGING!

Now let me start off by saying that I am not American [though I live in U.S.] and I find this slamming of Iced Earth because of their patriotism disturbing and annoying. Listening to this cd I feel Jon Schaffer's pride and love for his country, ancestors and culture come out through his music and word, it makes me wish I was American! Besides, his patriotic lyrics isn't any different than what Iron Maiden has done in the past ["The Trooper", "Aces High", etc.] or the numerous bands from Norway or Finland are doing at the moment.

Now on to the cd itself.

"Star Spangled Banner/Declaration Day"- a killer opener and gives a feel for the album. Right from the start, you know this is an Iced Earth record and not a Judas Priest circa 97-03 cd which I was kind of worried about before hearing it. Tim "Ripper" Owens does a fantastic job on his own and while I do miss Matt Barlow, Owens unlike what he did in Judas Priest is innovating rather than imitating. Don't get me wrong I liked him in Priest but thought it was more like a tribute band and I'm glad he now has more freedom in Iced Earth. 5/5

"When The Eagle Cries"- A slow paced, at times angry and others sad piece, I personally wouldn't have put it as the second song but it's a good song and the chorus is really growing on me. 4.5/5

"The Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me)"- The only song on the album that sounds like it could've been on Judas Priest's last two efforts due to Owen's Halford-esque shrieks, a good heavy song with some impressive guitar work. 4.75/5

"Greenface"- This one screams filler! I never thought so badly of an Iced Earth song ever. Thankfully the torture is only 3 minutes. 0/5

"Valley Forge"- Memorable. The kind of song that gets stuck in your head but you never want it to leave. 5/5

"Attila"- What metal songs are all about. 5/5

"Hollow Man"- Kind of has an Alice In Chains feel to it but considering I hate that band and I actually like this song, that should tell you something about Iced Earth's musicianship. 4.5/5

"Red Baron/Blue Max"- I thought the beginning was a little bit rehashed but the middle section when it gets thrashy really got me into it. 4.75/5

"Gettysburg 1983"- All I can say is WHOA! Like many have said, this piece clocking in at over 1/2 an hour is worth the price alone for the cd! Complete with the Prague Philharmonic, bagpipes, flutes, cannonfire, gunshots...I even think I heard Matt Barlow somewhere in the background:), this is the epic of all heavy metal epics. Better than Maiden's "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", Helloween's "Halloween", Manowar's "Achilles" or even Zeppelin's "Kashmir" (there I said it!), it's a masterpiece. A 1/2 hour of metallic orgasm!
5/5

Actually I'd give this cd 4 1/2 or 4 and three quarter stars but CDNOW doesn't give that option. I hope the band plays South FL but since the scene is so dead [what scene?!?!?] here I don't blame them if they don't. It will be interesting to hear Owen's take on the older material and hopefully when he shakes my hand next time he doesn't do it too hard like the last couple of times when I thought he was going to rip my arm out of my socket! I still think Something Wicked This Way Comes is their best but this one is pretty close and I think just a teaser of what's to come in the future.

I have been listening to this album non-stop for the past three days. I can safely say that it is my second-favorite IE album (behind Burnt Offerings) and that "Gettysburg" is the second-best IE song EVER (behind "Dante's Inferno"). The rest of the CD is excellent as well ("Valley Forge" stands out, to my mind). Buy it now!

John Shaffer continues to show us with this album, that he is one of the better guitarists out there. This new album, while very patriotically themed, seems diverse enough to satisfy. The blending lighter melodies and faster riffs makes this a unique Power Metal CD. Just like "Horrow Show," which was a dramatic epic, "Glorious Burden" is about war and history. I don't have any major criticisms of this album, other than the fact that it is slower and more conceptual than most of the music I listen to, and I don't tend to enjoy albums like that, although this CD is particularly well-executed. Expect to like this if you enjoy Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian, Dream Evil or Power Metal in general.

Don't get me wrong, Tim "Ripper" Owens is a great choice to replace matt, and does a great job in most of the vocals in the album. It wouldn't be fair to judge him according to the Matt Barlow standard, but I do miss Matt. I think that it's really interesting that Matt is still in this album, doing backup vocals in many songs. This is because it was recorded with Matt on lead vocals, but it wasn't what Jon Schaffer wanted, so they rerecorded them with Owens and couldn't get rid of Matt's backup vocals, kind of funny huh? I appreciate the subject matter that Jon is obsessed with and chose to do on this album, but it's hard to get into. I enjoy history too, but I feel that this album is a bit too patriotic and sometimes the lyrics seem a bit too "cheesy" (kind of a harsh word and I don't mean it to be so, but can't think of another word). I don't like Greenface one bit, and When the Eagle Cries isn't one of my favorites either (although I do respect it). I do enjoy Declaration Day, Waterloo, and Attila (Waterloo and Attila had Barlow's influence). The whole Gettysburg cd is a huge redeemer of this project and is very enjoyable with freaking flutes, cannon fire and an entire orchestra! Nice touch. I enjoy the album, but miss some of the old elements of the band.

Now people are going to hate me for saying this but Tim Owens is a better vocalist than Matt Barlow and this album is Iced Earths finest.

It is epic, heavy and melodic and contains Iced Earth finest moment in the "gettysburg" epic.

Schaffer has really outdone himself with this epic and it is perfect all around!!!

Boring, just plain boring. It looks as though they have lost it. When the Eagle Cries is a poorly developed song. The intention of the song good yes and that I can appreciate, however intention does not mean the song is a good song. I like all of the Iced Earth works preceding this one.

Oh I can't even say much more, I'm so disapointed in the band. If this is the sort of stuff they are going to have to offer, I have bought my last Iced Earth Album.